H. O. Houghton and Mr. George H. Mifflin, with whom were associated Mr.
M. M. Hurd and Mr. L. H. Valentine. They took over, either at that time
or a little later, the business of various Boston publishers, namely,
Ticknor & Fields, Hurd & Houghton, Houghton, Osgood & Company; Fields,
Osgood and Company, James R. Osgood & Company, and Ticknor & Company.
Some of these firms were first merged together and then with Houghton
Mifflin Company, but practically all this took place before 1882.
Ticknor & Company, however, became united with the business a little
later.
The Educational Department of Houghton Mifflin Company was established
in 1882 through the efforts of Horace E. Scudder and Henry N. Wheeler,
encouraged by Mr. Henry O. Houghton, Sr. There were then published
Colburn’s _Arithmetic_ and certain Latin books, but Mr. Scudder had
the idea that the great masterpieces of American literature, such as
_Evangeline_, _The Vision of Sir Launfal_, _Snow-Bound_ and other
similar great classics which had recently come into the control of
the firm, should be made available in cheap editions for school use.
He became the general editor of the Riverside Literature Series which
was then established, and which was pushed with vigor and energy by
Henry N. Wheeler. Early in the 90’s the Department developed with
the publication of Fiske’s _History of the United States_, Fiske’s
_Civil Government_, and various collections of literature such as
_Masterpieces of American Literature_. This necessitated further
expansion and an office was opened in Chicago under the management of
C. F. Newkirk, who was later succeeded by W. E. Bloomfield.
In 1902 J. D. Phillips, who had previously been connected with the
Editorial Department of the house, was transferred to the Educational
Department to do both agency and editorial work, and the Webster-Cooley
Language Series was soon published.
Mr. Scudder died in 1902 and Mr. Wheeler in 1905, and the Department
came under the management of Mr. Phillips and Mr. Davol. Franklin S.
Hoyt, formerly Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Indianapolis, was
invited in 1906 to join the firm and take charge of the editorial end
of the work. The organization then established has remained practically
unchanged until now. Henry B. Dewey, former Commissioner of Education
of the State of Washington, is now manager of the Boston office of this
Company.
B. F. JOHNSON PUBLISHING COMPANY.--This concern is the successor of
B. F. Johnson & Company, which was organized some time in the 80’s
to develop a subscription book business founded by Benjamin Franklin
Johnson in 1876. The business grew to enormous proportions and at one
time the books published by this concern were to be found in almost
every house in the South.
In 1895, the Company began to experiment in a small way with
schoolbooks, beginning with Lee’s _Advanced History_. Two years
later it published Johnson’s _Primer_, and this was soon followed
by Johnson’s _Readers_. The success of these experiments led to a
reorganization of the Company by Mr. Johnson in 1900, when the
subscription book business was dropped and the house began to devote
itself exclusively to schoolbooks. The first publications of the
reorganized company were _Graded Classics Readers_ and Colaw and
Ellwood’s Arithmetics in 1900, both of which series were remarkably
successful.
In 1902, Mr. Johnson was succeeded in the presidency by James D. Crump,
who held the position until 1920, when he was succeeded by A. J. Gray,
Jr. The Company has recently been reorganized by Mr. Gray to meet
the demands of its extraordinary growth and to provide for further
development on an enlarged scale.
SILVER, BURDETT & COMPANY.--This business was founded by Mr. Edgar O.
Silver, April 21, 1885. On September 21, 1886, the firm of Silver,
Rogers & Company was organized, M. Thacher Rogers being admitted to
partnership. This partnership was succeeded by the partnership of
Silver, Burdett & Company, April 16, 1888, consisting of Edgar O.
Silver, Elmer E. Silver, Henry C. Deane, and Frank W. Burdett, and
on May 2, 1892, the business of the partnership was assumed by the
corporation of the same name. Mr. Edgar O. Silver died in November,
1909. In 1910, Arthur Lord was elected Acting President, and in 1914
Haviland Stevenson was made President of the Company.
The date of the first publications of this house was 1885. Among its
earliest books were the _Normal Music Course_ and other music books
for schools, Farley and Gunnison’s Writing Books, Todd and Powell’s
Readers, Stowell’s Physiologies, and Larkin Dunton’s Geographical
Readers. For two or three years after its organization in 1885, the
house devoted itself almost entirely to the publication of music books
for the common and high schools. In 1890, the policy of the house was
changed and the list broadened to cover the other subjects in the
school curriculum.
Silver, Burdett & Company purchased the business of Potter & Putnam
about 1903, and in 1904 that of the Morse Company, adding the lists of
these houses to their own.
D. C. HEATH & COMPANY.--This house was founded in 1886 by Daniel C.
Heath, whose first office was in Tremont Place, Boston. The name chosen
by Mr. Heath for his firm was D. C. Heath & Company, which name has
continued until this day. Mr. Heath’s first partner was Charles H.
Ames, who was admitted to the firm in 1888. His second was William E.
Pulsifer, who joined the Company in 1889. Dr. Winfield S. Smyth, who
had been Ginn & Company’s Chicago manager, was taken into the firm
of D. C. Heath & Company in 1893. In 1895, the partnership sold its
business to a corporation organized in that month, of which Mr. D.
C. Heath was made President, Dr. Winfield S. Smyth, Vice President,
William E. Pulsifer, Treasurer, and Charles H. Ames, Secretary. Mr.
Heath died in January, 1908, and Dr. Smyth in August, 1908.
After Mr. Heath’s death his trustees, Herbert C. Foss and E. G. Cooley,
who for some time had been Superintendent of Schools in Chicago,
carried on the business for two years, when Mr. Heath’s stock was
purchased by William E. Pulsifer, Winfield S. Smyth, Jr., W. H. Ives,
James C. Simpson, Isaac Van Houten, Frank F. Hummel, and others who
bought a few shares of the common stock. In 1910 the corporation
elected as its officers, William E. Pulsifer, President, W. H. Ives,
Vice President, Winfield S. Smyth, Treasurer, and Charles H. Ames,
Secretary. Mr. Ives soon retired and in September, 1911, Mr. Ames
died. The present officers of the Company are William E. Pulsifer,
President, James C. Simpson, Vice President, Winfield S. Smyth,
Treasurer, and Frank F. Hummel, Secretary. Mr. S. Willard Clary was
the editor-in-chief of the Modern Language Department for twenty-seven
years, and Dr. Charles Henry Douglas has been the editor-in-chief of
the general list since 1895.
When Mr. Heath retired from the firm of Ginn & Heath, he was paid for
his interest partly in cash and partly in books. Among the publications
which he received from the Ginn & Heath list were Remsen’s _Organic
Chemistry_, Shaler’s _First Book in Geology_, Ybarra’s _Practical
Method in Spanish_, Sheldon’s _Short German Grammar_, Hall’s _Methods
of Teaching History_, and Mitchell’s _Hebrew Lessons_. There were
altogether twenty-four bound books and several manuscripts, including
those prepared by Mary Sheldon. Mr. Heath’s first publications were
Sheldon’s _Studies in General History_, the Joynes-Meissner _German
Grammar_, and several French and German texts purchased from English
and Scotch publishers and republished by him.
D. C. Heath & Company has acquired by purchase from Leach & Shewell and
added to its list the Wells Series of Mathematics for secondary schools
and colleges, a number of Latin texts and textbooks from the University
Publishing Company, Thomas’s _History of the United States_ from a
Friends’ Society known as The Text-Book Association of Philadelphia,
Bancroft’s _School Gymnastics_ from Kellogg & Company of New York,
Bowser’s Algebras, Geometries, and Trigonometries from Van Nostrand
& Company, and the American rights in what is now known as the Arden
Shakespeare from Blackie & Son, Limited, of Scotland.
LONGMANS, GREEN & COMPANY.--The American house of Longmans, Green
& Company was founded September 15, 1887, by Mr. C. J. Mills. Its
business is incorporated under New York State law. The London house
began business in 1724. The only change that has been made in the
personnel of the Company on this side of the Atlantic was the
admittance to the firm of Mr. Mill’s son, E. S. Mills.
The publication of schoolbooks by the American house was begun in 1890.
The first of these books were _Epochs of American History_, a series
of three volumes edited by Professor A. B. Hart of Harvard. Woodrow
Wilson is the author of one of the volumes. This well-known series was
quickly followed by Longmans’ _English Classics_, Longmans’ _English
Grammar_, etc.
SCOTT, FORESMAN & COMPANY.--This house was founded in 1889 under the
firm name of Albert & Scott. The business was originated and carried
on for several years by Mr. E. H. Scott. In 1894, Mr. H. A. Foresman
purchased an interest in the concern and shortly afterward the
publishing business of George Sherwood & Company, with all its stock
and publishing rights, was taken over. At that time the corporation
name was changed to Scott, Foresman & Company. In 1896, W. C. Foresman
bought an interest in the business and became Treasurer of the Company.
The same year the publishing business of S. C. Griggs & Company was
purchased, and all rights and stock were transferred to Scott, Foresman
& Company. In 1908, R. C. McNamara became a stockholder and Secretary
of the Company. In 1912, Charles E. Keck became a stockholder and
manager of the Eastern office.
Scott, Foresman & Company began publishing educational books in 1889,
the first being a beginner’s Latin book, _Bellum Helveticum_, and the
second, Lowe and Ewing’s _Caesar_.
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY.--On June 14, 1890, an announcement was made by
the American Book Company as follows:
“American Book Company, Incorporated, New York, Cincinnati, Chicago.
Birdseye Blakeman, President; Alfred C. Barnes, Vice President; Harry
T. Ambrose, Treasurer; Gilman H. Tucker, Secretary. Directors: Caleb
S. Bragg, Chairman; William H. Appleton, William W. Appleton, Daniel
Appleton, Alfred C. Barnes, Charles J. Barnes, Henry B. Barnes,
Birdseye Blakeman, George R. Cathcart, A. H. Hinkle, David B. Ivison,
Henry H. Vail.
“The American Book Company is a stock company incorporated under state
laws for the purpose of carrying on the manufacture and sale of books.
The American Book Company has purchased the schoolbook publications
hitherto issued by D. Appleton & Company, A. S. Barnes & Company,
Harper & Brothers, Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Company of New York, and
Van Antwerp, Bragg & Company of Cincinnati. The company is organized in
the interest of economy in the production and sale of schoolbooks, etc.”
Mr. Birdseye Blakeman served as President from April, 1890, until May,
1893. He was succeeded by David B. Ivison, who served as President
until 1896. Harry T. Ambrose was President of the Company from 1896
until 1914, when L. M. Dillman was elected to that office. Mr. Blakeman
died October 9, 1894, and Mr. Ivison, April 6, 1903.
General A. C. Barnes served as Vice President from 1890 until his
death in 1904, when he was succeeded by Dr. Henry H. Vail. He in turn
was succeeded by the present Vice President, A. Victor Barnes.
Mr. Ambrose served as Treasurer of the Company until he was elected
President in 1896, when Charles P. Batt, the present Treasurer,
succeeded him. Gilman H. Tucker was Secretary of the Company at its
organization in 1890, and remained as such until his death, November
14, 1913. He was succeeded by John Arthur Greene, who died in 1917. The
present Secretary is W. L. Billmyer.
Dr. Henry H. Vail was Chief of the Editorial Department at the
organization of the Company, and held that position until his
resignation in 1909, when he was succeeded by Russell Hinman. Mr.
Hinman died in 1912, when Mr. G. W. Benton was made Editor-in-Chief and
is still serving in that position.
Since its organization, the American Book Company has taken over by
purchase the schoolbook properties of the following houses: Werner
School Book Company, Chicago; Standard School Book Company, St. Louis;
D. D. Merrill, St. Paul; Cowperthwait & Company, Philadelphia; Taintor
Brothers & Company, New York; E. H. Butler & Company, Philadelphia;
Western School Book Company, Chicago; Sheldon & Company, New York;
Williams & Rogers, Rochester; the elementary list of the University
Publishing Company, New York.
SCHWARTZ, KIRWIN & FAUSS.--This house was established in 1890, the
founders being Alonzo Schwartz, James J. Kirwin, and Denis C. Fauss. In
1893, Mr. Schwartz retired on account of ill health, and the business
continued under the direction of Mr. Kirwin and Mr. Fauss.
In 1898, this firm purchased the business of the Catholic School Book
Company, taking over its entire list. That company, in turn, was the
successor of the Catholic Publication Society, established originally
by the Paulist Fathers in 59th Street, New York, with Mr. Lawrence
Kehoe as the manager.
Among the earliest publications of the house were _The Young Catholic’s
Illustrated Readers_, Deharbe’s Catechism, Gazeau’s Histories, Edward’s
_Hygiene_, Hassard’s Histories, Farrell’s Spellers, and the _Columbus
Series of Readers_, by Dr. William T. Vlymen, which series had already
been contracted for and the first book published by the Catholic School
Book Company, when Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss purchased their list and
completed the series.
The offices of this firm are located at 42 Barclay Street, New York,
with Mr. Kirwin and Mr. Fauss still in charge of the business.
THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY.--This organization is an outgrowth of
_Gregg Shorthand_, first published by John R. Gregg in Boston, October,
1893. In 1896 Mr. Gregg moved to Chicago, where he established a
school and continued to publish his system. In 1907, the publishing
business was incorporated as the Gregg Publishing Company, and is owned
by Mr. Gregg, with the exception of the few shares held by others
to comply with the legal requirements. In 1907 Mr. Gregg moved to
New York, where he established an Eastern office. The San Francisco
office was opened in 1912, the Boston office in 1919, and in 1920 an
office was established in London. At the present time the executive
officers are: John R. Gregg, President; Mrs. J. R. Gregg, First Vice
President; Rupert P. SoRelle, Second Vice President; W. F. Nenneman,
Secretary-Treasurer; Hubert A. Hagar, General Manager.
Beginning with shorthand, an extensive line of publications in
that subject was developed, to which were added textbooks in other
commercial subjects. In addition to its two magazines, the list of
publications of the Gregg Publishing Company at the present time
comprises more than one hundred titles.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.--In January, 1896, an American branch of the
Oxford University Press opened offices at 91-93 Fifth Avenue, New York,
under the management of John Armstrong, with whom were associated W.
W. McIntosh, W. F. Olver, and C. C. Schepmoes. In 1897, the Branch
took over from The Macmillan Company the publications of The Clarendon
Press. In 1915, Mr. Armstrong died. He was succeeded by W. W. McIntosh,
the present Vice President and General Manager. Mr. W. F. Olver, the
first Treasurer of the Company, died in 1919 and was succeeded by Isaac
Brown. Mr. C. C. Schepmoes became Secretary at that time.
The first schoolbook manufactured and published by the Oxford
University Press in this country was Schiller’s _Wilhelm Tell_, edited
by Sphoenfeld, which was issued in 1902. The concern publishes the
Oxford English, French, and German Series. In 1918, the Branch added a
Medical Department, which handles all the medical publications of Henry
Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton of London.
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.--Mr. George P. Brett, the present President,
with the proprietors of Macmillan & Company, Ltd., London, the people
who had been interested in the agency of Macmillan & Company previously
operating in the United States, undertook the organization of the
corporation, The Macmillan Company, in this country in 1896. Mr. Brett
has been the President of the American corporation since that date.
There have been several heads of the Educational Department. It was
organized first under the direction of Dr. F. L. Sevenoak, who gave a
part of his time to this work, the balance being devoted to teaching.
He was succeeded by James R. McDonald, who filled the position until
the fall of 1902, when he was succeeded by William H. Ives. In 1906
Mr. Ives was succeeded by F. C. Tenney, who filled the position
until July, 1912. At that time A. H. Nelson became the head of the
Educational Department and held the position until July, 1920, when
Charles H. Seaver, who now occupies it, succeeded Mr. Nelson.
School textbooks were published in America by Macmillan & Company
before the time when The Macmillan Company was formed as an American
corporation, the records showing the publication of Hall and Knight’s
_Elementary Algebra_ and _Algebra for Beginners_ in 1895, Tarr’s
_Elements of Physical Geography_ in 1895, and Channing’s _Student’s
History of the United States_ in April, 1896. Immediately following the
establishment of the American corporation, there was published Miller’s
_Trigonometry_ in 1896, and in 1897 the following books appeared:
Tarr’s _High School Geology_, Nichols’ _High School Physics_, Lewis’s
_Writing English_, Tarr’s _First Book in Physical Geography_, McLellan
and Ames’ _Arithmetic_, Hall and Knight’s _Algebra for Colleges and
Schools_, Davenport’s _Elementary Economics_, Murche’s _Science
Readers_. The McLellan and Ames _Arithmetic_ and the Murche _Science
Readers_ were the first textbooks published for elementary grades. The
Macmillan Company first undertook the work of publishing books for that
field in the fall of 1897.
W. H. WHEELER & COMPANY.--This Chicago concern was organized in 1897
by Mr. W. H. Wheeler. In 1898 W. C. Fidler purchased an interest in
the Company. Some years later, E. E. Wheeler, son of W. H. Wheeler,
was admitted to the firm, as was also John H. Pugh. These four men are
still active in the business.
The first books published by this house were Wheeler’s _Graded Studies
in English, First Lessons in Grammar and Composition_. These were
followed a little later by Wheeler’s _Graded Primer_.
NEWSON & COMPANY.--This concern was incorporated under the laws of
the State of New York, July, 1900. Mr. Henry D. Newson was its first
President. He was succeeded in that office by Mr. Everett Yeaw, the
present President, in April, 1912. Mr. Newson severed all relations
with the Company on January 1, 1920.
Newson & Company immediately on its organization began the publication
of educational books, the first of which was Buehler’s _Modern English
Grammar_, the original of the present Revised Edition, published in
1914.
WORLD BOOK COMPANY.--The house was established in 1905 by Casper
W. Hodgson. “It was really founded,” Mr. Hodgson writes, “in the
Philippine Islands, a little farther west or east than any other
American house has started.” The first office was in Manila, but soon
another was established at Park Hill, Yonkers, N. Y.
The first books issued were six Philippine publications. The World Book
Company now does a considerable business not only in the Philipine
Islands, but also in the United States and Latin America. O. S. Reimold
and M. A. Purcell have been connected with the business almost from its
beginning. M. J. Hazelton, who joined the Company in 1908, has been the
Philippine representative of the house. Professor John W. Ritchie has
given his full time to the organization since 1915.
The titles of the first educational books published for use in American
schools are Ritchie’s _Human Physiology_, and Wohlfarth-Rogers’ _New
World Spellers_.
ROW, PETERSON & COMPANY.--This firm was organized in February, 1906.
R. K. Row was made President and Isaac Peterson, Secretary-Treasurer.
A few years later Charles D. Kennedy and J. R. Sparks purchased stock
in the Company and were made directors, Mr. Kennedy becoming Secretary.
In 1914, B. E. Richardson purchased stock and became Vice President. In
1919, Mr. Peterson died and Mr. Kennedy was made Secretary-Treasurer.
The first books were published in the spring of 1906. These included
Robbins and Row’s _Studies in English_, Salisbury’s _The Theory of
Teaching_, Frazier’s _The National Speller_, Hatch and Haselwood’s
_Elementary Agriculture_, and Hurty’s _Life with Health_.
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY.--This organization was started on July
1, 1909, with John A. Hill, President, and James H. McGraw, Vice
President. After Mr. Hill’s death in 1916, Mr. McGraw succeeded him as
President, which position he still holds.
At the time of the formation of this Company in 1909, when the Book
Departments of the McGraw Publishing Company and the Hill Publishing
Company were consolidated, the combined lists totaled perhaps 200
books. In ten years this list has grown to approximately 1000 titles.
Some of the most notable publications of the Educational Department
of the McGraw-Hill Book Company are Dr. Cady’s _Inorganic Chemistry_,
Dr. Norris’ _Principles of Organic Chemistry_, Dr. Moore’s _History
of Chemistry_, Dr. Mahin’s _Quantitative Analysis_, a series of
Electrical Engineering texts prepared under the general supervision
of Dr. H. E. Clifford of Harvard University, a series of books on
Scientific Management and Efficiency, under the general direction of
Dr. R. S. Butler, formerly of the University of Wisconsin, a series
of mathematical texts, including Slichter’s _Elementary Mathematical
Analysis_, Wolff’s _Calculus_, Allen’s _Projective Geometry_, and a
series of successful books for trade schools and apprentice classes,
under the general direction of F. E. Mathewson of the Dickinson High
School, Jersey City, N. J.
The present officers of the McGraw-Hill Book Company are: James H.
McGraw, President; Martin M. Foss, Vice President and General Manager;
Arthur J. Baldwin, Vice President; Edward Caldwell, Treasurer; James S.
Thompson, Secretary.
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY.--This house was established in 1838 by
Samuel Merrill. The business has continued in unbroken succession since
that time, under several different firm names, being first Merrill &
Company, then Merrill & Field, Merrill Hubbard Company, Merrill Meigs
& Company, The Bowen-Merrill Company, and in 1903 the firm name became
The Bobbs-Merrill Company.
In 1909 a set of educational readers was added to the general line
of publications of this house. As publishers of law books, The
Bobbs-Merrill Company ranks among the leading houses of the country.
The present officers of the corporation are: W. C. Bobbs, President;
John R. Carr, Vice President; D. L. Chambers, Secretary.
THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY.--The founder of this Philadelphia concern
was Mr. John C. Winston, who was its directing head until May 6, 1920,
when he died.
The Company began work in the preparation of schoolbooks in 1913, but
the business end of the Educational Department was not inaugurated
until March, 1918. The first books published by this Company were the
Winston Series of Readers, the _Young American Readers_, the _Winston
Simplified Dictionary_, and two books on civics, _Our Community_ and
_Our Neighborhood_.
IROQUOIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.--This Company was incorporated
under the laws of the state of New York on July 15, 1915, with E. F.
Southworth as President and H. W. Duguid as Secretary. Mr. Southworth
was for many years connected with Ginn & Company.
During the first year the Company brought out a list of twelve books.
This list increased until on February 1, 1921, it contained more than
fifty titles.